


Monstrous

by merelypassingtime



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Monsters, Other, Threats of Violence, Young Eddie Brock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 05:31:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17822813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merelypassingtime/pseuds/merelypassingtime
Summary: Eddie is a young boy with a problem, he has a monster living in his house.But is it really the one underneath his bed?





	Monstrous

**Author's Note:**

> All the thanks to StarryEden for all their support and for beta reading this for me.  
> All mistakes left are purely my own.

“There’s a monster under my bed,” Eddie said, keeping his eyes down, trained on his bowl of corn flakes.

His father grunted noncommittally from behind his newspaper. 

Eddie took another bite of the already soggy cereal, and was careful to chew it fully before he continued, “It’s black with tentacles like an octopus. It says it’s hungry. I think it’s going to eat me.”

Across the small table his sister looked up from her half finished homework just long enough to roll her eyes at him. “There’s no such thing as monsters Eddie. Duh.”

“But I saw it, Mary. It spoke to me.”

“Probably just a bad dream, ‘cause of all those comics you like to read, weirdo.”

“Was not! It was real.”

“Edward,” his father’s voice rang out, equal parts disapproving and disinterested. “Listen to your sister.” The paper never wavered from its place between him and them.

Mary smirked at him and mouthed, ‘Yeah, Edward.’

Eddie just shrugged and went back to eating. Really, it had been exactly the reaction he expected.

That afternoon when he came home from practice, he wasn’t surprised to find the apartment empty. After all, it was Friday night. His father would be at the bar, knocking back a ‘few’ beers to celebrate the end of the work week, and God only knew where Mary went after school these days instead of staying home to look after him like she was suppose to. Eddie never bothered to ask, he was just happy to be free from her constant bossing.

He dropped his backpack on the floor next to the door in clear violation of the house rules, and, in his best impression of Ricky Ricardo, he called out to the empty living room, ‘Honey, I’m home!”

The expected silence that greeted his words was broken by a muffled thud from his bedroom, and with a jolt Eddie recalled the strange thing under his bed.

Somehow, even completely alone in the rapidly fading twilight, it didn’t seem as frightening as it had in the oppressive darkness and silence of an occupied house last night.

Now, he thought about the monster as he moved automatically through his evening routine. He locked the door behind him and headed first into the living room to turn on the TV for background noise, then to the little kitchen to make himself some dinner. 

Strictly speaking, he was not allowed to use the oven by himself, but it hadn’t taken long for him to come to hate eating cereal for two meals a day. Besides, he figured as long as he wasn’t caught and didn’t burn the place down he’d be fine. Of course that didn’t stop the dread that pooled in the pit of his stomach every time he turned it on, and he glanced nervously at the door, checking again that it was locked, before he set the dial for 425 degrees.

As the oven started to preheat he opened the freezer door, standing on the tips of his toes to see into it. There was half a bag of tater tots, a package of peas, and the bottle of vodka he knew better than to touch. He sighed and grabbed the tater tots, his hopes for finding some chicken nuggets crushed. After dumping the tots out onto the baking sheet, he checked the door was locked again before sliding it into the still heating oven.

Usually, while dinner cooked he would lay out his homework on the dining room table so he could work as he ate, but tonight, with the whole weekend before him and the mystery of the thing under his bed on his mind, he left his books in his bag, though he did move the bag from by the front door and safely into his room. Wanting to free up the rest of the evening, he rushed through both his and Mary’s daily chores, managing to wrap up the vacuuming just as the timer on the oven began to buzz.

He pulled out the tater tots, just slightly burnt, and divided them on to two plates. He triple checked that the oven was safely turned off, arranged one arm so he was holding his glass of water pressed between his forearm and chest, and carefully picked up both plates, carrying them somewhat awkwardly up to his room.

Managing the stairs without spilling or dropping anything, he set the plates and cup on the floor and grabbed the book off his nightstand and the blanket off his bed. Throwing the blanket on the floor next to his desk, he settled down on top of it before pushing one plate near but not quite under his bed, and pulling the other one towards himself.

Opening his well-worn copy of _Stranger in a Strange Land_ , Eddie pointedly looked down at the page and not at the darkness under his bed as he said, “Go ahead. I know you’re hungry, I heard you last night. I hope you like tater tots, it was all we had.”

For several long minutes, Eddie watched the plate out of the corner of his eye while he pretended to read. 

Nothing happened. Not so much as a shift in the shadows over his bed.

Eddie sighed, a little disappointed but not really too surprised. He’d always known deep down that, no matter how much he wanted it, the world was never going to be a magical place for him. He didn’t know why he bothered to hope anymore.

Heart heavy, he turned his attention to actually reading his book, reaching for one of the now stone-cold tots on his own plate as he did. It was blessedly easy to lose himself in the book, its familiar action wrapping around him and soothing his unhappy thoughts. 

He wasn’t sure how long he read before he looked up from the page to take a drink from his water and found the other plate of tater tots was nearly empty. When he gasped, a inky black tendril jerked back from it, disappearing under the bed, still clutching a tot.

Eddie didn’t even think, the next thing he knew he was on his belly right next to the plate peering under the bed. “Ha! I knew you were real!”

There was only stillness from under the bed, but this time he wasn’t fooled.

“Oh, come on,” he said, his voice gentle. “You can come out. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Again, there was no response.

“I have more tater tots…” Eddie cajolled. “I even have some chocolate.”

Finally, something stirred in the shadows, and a deep, smooth voice asked, **Chocolate?**

The voice made Eddie hesitate for a second, it sounded disturbingly like his father. But, unlike his father’s, it wasn’t angry or bored. Instead, it sounded excited and hopeful, as if chocolate was a wonder beyond all its expectations. 

How could Eddie say no to that? He scrambled up, causing a thump and surprised hiss from underneath the bed.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you! I was just going to get the chocolate.”

Putting one knee on his narrow bed, Eddie leaned over, reaching towards the bookcase built into the headboard. He pulled a couple of the books out, revealing his stash of hoarded Christmas candy. There wasn’t a lot left, only two pieces in fact, and Eddie scooped them both into his hand then plopped down on the ground again, this time sitting cross legged.

He unwrapped one of the pieces and put it down next to the plate of tater tots. “Here, buddy. Have a Hershey’s.”

After a long moment, the black tendril snaked out from under the bed once again, wrapping around the mini candy bar and quickly retreating.

“Hope you like it,” Eddie said, nibbling a corner off the other chocolate and making a face at the bitterness. “I don’t really like them, ‘cause they’re dark chocolate. I think my grandma bought the dark on accident, but she also put peanut butter cups in my stocking. They are my favorite.”

**Is good,** the voice said, sounding stronger somehow. **More!**

“Geesh. At least say ‘please,’” Eddie scolded, even as he put his half eaten bar down next to the bed.

**Please, Eddie?** the voice said, pausing in the middle of reaching for the offered candy.

“You know my name?”

**Know everything about you. Always here, always listening to you.**

Eddie knew that should have sounded creepy and weird, but it didn’t. He’s always hated being alone, and he hated even more how invisible he was here at home. Knowing that, for the last few days at least, something- no, someone- had been paying attention, was great. Not that he would admit it.

He said blithely, “Well, you can’t know everything. After all, you didn’t know where my chocolate was hid.”

**Did so.**

“Did not! Or else you’d have eaten it.”

The sulky silence was all the confirmation he needed.

“That’s okay,” Eddie reassured. “Not even Mary knows about my horde. She thinks I ate all my candy right away like she did, but I saved it. I’m really sneaky about it, too. I don’t even throw away the wrappers here, I throw them away on the way to school so she doesn’t catch on and take all my candy again.”

The tendril started moving away from the bar it still hadn’t touched. Sounding guilty and sad, the voice pointed out, **We took all your chocolate.**

“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. You’re not really taking it, I’m sharing it with you. Go ahead and eat it. Besides, Easter’s only a couple of months away, then Grandma will give me more. If you’re still here, I can even give you a peanut butter cup!”

**Still here?**

Eddie realized his mistake and backpedaled quickly. “No, that’s fine. I know you weren’t gonna stay for Easter. You can leave whenever you like.”

**Why leave?**

“I’m sure you have better places to be and more exciting people to meet.”

**Like it here. Like Eddie.**

“Oh,” Eddie said, his voice small. Then, shyly, he continued, “I like you too-um… do you have a name?”

**Name?**

“Yeah! What should I call you?”

**I am Venom,** the voice said, proudly, but also with the barest hint of a question.

“Really? That’s so cool. Makes you sound tough.”

**Yes. Very tough and scary.**

“Yeah, you really scared me last night,” Eddie reassured him. It wasn’t strictly true, he’d been plenty scared, but more that his dad would wake up than of the black shape threatening to eat him.

**Sorry,** Venom said, sounding contrite. **Was hungry.**

“I hope the tater tots helped you.”

**Helped, but still hungry. Always hungry.**

“Always?”

**Yes. But, do not worry. Would not eat Eddie.**

“Than-”

**Not much, anyway.**

“Oh. Well, thanks so much, I guess,” Eddie said, his tone thick with sarcasm.

**You are welcome,** Venom replied cheerfully.

Eddie rolled his eyes. Apparently monsters didn’t understand sarcasm. Not that Venom seemed much like a monster right now, at least not like he had been last night in the dark. Last night he’d been all shining white eyes and even whiter fangs, today he was a little ribbon of chocolate-loving blackness. It was hard for him to believe it had been Venom both times. 

Curious now, Eddie asked, “Hey, can I see what you look like? I didn’t really get a chance yesterday.”

When there was no answer from Venom for several long moments, Eddie started to worry he’d asked too much. “I’m sorry! You don’t have to.”

After another few seconds of silence, Venom said in barely more than a whisper, **I am ugly. I do not want to scare Eddie again.**

“No! I won’t be scared,” Eddie reassured him. Then, remembering what he’d glimpsed the night before, he added, “Well, maybe I’ll be a little scared, but I won’t run away. After all, I didn’t run away last night, did I? And that was before we were friends.”

**Friends?** Venom asked. **We are friends?**

“Yeah. I mean, if you wanted to be.”

**Yes. Want to be Eddie’s friend.**

“Great! And friends aren’t scared of friends.”

**Could never be scared of Eddie. Eddie is small and nice.**

“Not that small!” Eddie objected. “And not that nice. I can be scary too.”

**Cannot.**

“Yeah? That so? What if I don’t share my chocolate with you next time? I could just keep it all for myself.”

Shocked, Venom growled, **You would not!**

“No, I wouldn’t. But only because friends don’t scare friends. Like you won’t scare me,” Eddie declared, proud to have brought the argument back around to his point. Mary hated when he did that.

Venom didn’t seem that impressed either. Grudgingly, he said, **Fine. But if you are scared I get more chocolate.**

“That seems fair,” Eddie agreed. He’d already been planning to get more chocolate anyway.

Hesitantly, a black shape began to creep out from under the bed and into the dim light of the overhead lamp. Eddie was expecting something with a bunch of writhing tentacles and maybe wings, not something that looked like a puddle of half melted ice cream, or would have if ice cream came in tar flavored. He was surprised, but not disappointed.

The shape inched towards him, it’s movement somewhere between rolling and crawling, and stopped just short of his leg. A bump formed in the middle of it, raising up to form into a tiny head with the white eyes and fangs he remembered from last night, only much smaller.

“You’re beautiful,” Eddie breathed in wonder. Impulsively, he reached out to feel Venom’s glossy surface, curious and awestruck.

When Venom flinched away, Eddie immediately froze. “Sorry. I just wanted to see want you feel like. I should’ve asked.”

**It is okay,** Venom said. Slowly, he moved closer to Eddie, forming a tendril to reach out to brush Eddie’s still outstretched hand.

Again, Eddie was surprised. Instead of feeling cold and slightly sticky like the slime that he sometimes bought out of the vending machines at the grocery store, Venom was warm, almost hot, and smooth like silk. As he watched, Venom trickled up his hand and looped around his wrist before exploring further up his arm, as if he was as interested in Eddie as Eddie was in him.

“This is so cool,” Eddie said, lifting the oddly light mass up towards his face so he could look right into Venom’s eyes. “You seemed a lot bigger last night though.”

**Was bigger, but hungry. Tired. Your air hurts. Cannot survive in it.**

“Oh, like asthma or something?”

**What is asthma?**

“Um, when you can’t breathe for some reason…” Eddie said uncertainly. He didn’t have asthma and didn’t really know much about it.

**Yes. Have asthma.**

“Can I help at all?”

**No. Need someone to bond with. Need a host.**

Eddie wasn’t really sure what Venom meant, but he knew he wanted Venom to stay. He was interesting and different, and he needed Eddie’s help, needed Eddie. Nobody ever even wanted Eddie let alone needed him. He didn’t think twice before offering, “You could bond with me! Would that help?”

**No!** Venom said, wrapping tighter around his hand. **Will not force Eddie to bond.**

“You wouldn’t be forcing me, I’m offering. Like the chocolate, it’d sharing. I’d be happy to share whatever you need with you.” 

**Sure?**

“Yeah, of course! That’s what friends do.”

**Okay,** Venom said. He still sounded uncertain, but there was hope there too.

“Great! What do I need-” Eddie started to ask, only to stop when the blackness resting on his palm and wrapped around his arm began to vanished, like it was evaporating away.

Panicking, Eddie jerked the arm against his chest, covering it with his other arm in a desperate attempt to grasp the disappearing Venom. It didn’t help, and within seconds he was gone.

“No! Where did you go. Did I do something wrong? You said you’d stay!”

**Calm,** Eddie, Venom said, only this time it sounded like his voice was coming from inside Eddie’s head. **Still here. Part of you now.**

Arms still wrapped around himself, Eddie tried to slow his breathing. “What do you mean? A part of me?”

As he asked, something shifting around in his chest, easing the tightness around his lungs and soothing his rapidly beating heart. “That feels weird, what is going on?” he demanded. 

Smugly, Venom answered, **Helping Eddie. Now we are breathing together.**

“Oh, so you’re in my chest?”

**We are everywhere. We are one. We are Venom!**

“Oh. That’s good, I guess.” Eddie was more puzzled than anything, but he could feel Venom in the back of his mind, radiating joy and relief. It felt pretty good. 

Still, he couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. “Does that mean I’ll never see you again? I hardly got to see you at all!”

Immediately, black strands reemerged, this time twisting themselves around both of his arms, stark against his skin. It was mesmerizing to watch.

Sensing his interest, more black appeared until his arms were completely covered. As he watched, one of them reached for a tater tot without him moving it. It picked it up and tossed it in the air at the same time that Venom’s head poked out from a patch of skin on his shoulder. This time he had a long, slender neck that he used to stretch out towards the tumbling tot. Eddie thought he was going to miss catching it for sure, but then a long pink tongue appeared, spearing it neatly in midair.

“Cool!” Eddie exclaimed. “Do that again!”

Venom was happy to oblige, and the two of them took turns trying to catch the rest of the tater tots. Venom was way better at it.

After the last tot was gone, Eddie asked, “So, what do you like to do now?”

Venom looked up from his sad regard of the empty plates and tilted his head to one side inquisitively. **What were you doing before?**

“Before when?”

**Before, when you brought us the tater tots. You sat over here and looked at that,** he said, using Eddie’s hand to pick up _Stranger in A Strange Land._

“Oh, yeah. I was reading.”

**Reading?** Venom asked. There was a strange feeling in his head, like his thoughts were being shuffled through, then Venom said, **Oh! Reading. The little squiggles on the page mean things.**

“Yeah. They tell stories.”

**Good stories?**

“Usually.”

**Show me,** Venom demanded.

Eddie looked dubiously down at the Heinlein. “I dunno, this might be a bit much for a beginner. Maybe we could start with something a little easier.”

Eddie put his book back down on the nightstand and opened the bottom drawer. Digging around in the back, he finally pulled out a large, bright yellow picture book.

“Here! Let’s try some Curious George.”

Venom asked, **What is George curious about?**

“Everything,” Eddie replied, grinning. “I think you guys would get along that way.”

Venom huffed, but otherwise stayed quiet as Eddie sat back down on the blanket next to his desk.

He opened the book and began the first story in the collection, moving one finger under each word as he read them. Venom followed along, enthralled.

They were barely into the second story when Eddie’s eyes started getting heavy, and his reading punctuated by more and more yawns. Before the end of the story Eddie nodded off, his head drooping over the still open book.

He was wrenched from sleep some time later by his bedroom door slamming open.

In the doorway Eddie’s father stood, listing visibly and glaring around the room with eyes sunken deep in his alcohol swollen face.

“Edward!” he slurred, staggering into the room. “Why’s this light on? You’re supposed to be asleep!”

Eddie pressed himself back into the corner formed by the wall and desk, cowering as far away from the advancing man as he could, and covering his ears to block out the increasingly incoherent screaming.

**Eddie?!** Venom called out his name, half a question and half an exclamation.

Eddie yanked his hands down from his ears so he could cross his arms protectively over his chest, whispering, “Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you.”

**Hurt-** Venom started to ask, but just then Eddie’s father drew back a foot with the clear intention to kick his son. Determined to protect his new friend, Eddie tucked his head down, curling in on himself tightly, and braced for the blow.

It never came.

After a moment Eddie glanced up only to see his own arm was extended, halting the heavy boot halfway through its arc towards his head. For a frozen moment, both Eddie and his father gaped at the hand gripping the outstretched foot, then Eddie’s arm yanked back sharply, taking the foot with it and pulling the already unbalanced man off his other foot. His father landed on his back with a loud thump and a great ooph as all the breath was knocked from his lungs.

The hand then flexed its fingers and blackness flowed over it, rapidly moving down his arm and engulfing the rest of Eddie’s body. It brought with it a feeling of security and rightness. Eddie blinked, the feeling odd with his face completely covered, and looked around, surprised that somehow he could still see his small room through the blackness, everything in it looking sharper than normal.

“Venom?” Eddie asked, the question echoing in his head.

**Don’t worry, Eddie,** Venom answered. **I won’t let him hurt you.**

Before he could ask anything else, Eddie felt himself standing up even though he hadn’t made any motion to do so. As he stood he seemed to grow taller and broader, Venom filling out impossibly around him until they were twice Eddie’s usual size. Together they towered over the figure still lying on the floor.

Venom leaned over, grabbing the whimpering man by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up to their eye level, their faces only inches apart. With his voice louder and more terrifying than it had ever been when directed at Eddie, Venom growled, **You will leave this room tonight and you will never hit Eddie again. Ever. Or I will eat you. Slowly. Starting with the organs you prize the most.**

Terror clear on his face, his father looked up at them and croaked out, “What the fuck? What are you?”

Smiling, all their teeth barred, Venom said, **We are Venom. And you are nothing but a future snack to us. Get out of our sight. Now.**

Venom threw his father halfway across the room, watching with a vindictive joy Eddie couldn’t help but share as he bounced off the door frame and landed hard on floor. They took a menacing step toward him and he scooted backwards out the door and into the hall, dragging himself away using his hands and heels. Venom covered the remaining distance to the door in one more stride, slamming it shut in time to manage to clip his retreating feet.

Eddie could still hear his father’s blubbering as Venom began to sink back into his skin, gently setting Eddie back on the floor at his normal height. He was radiating so much satisfaction and smugness that Eddie had to smile, though it was very shaky.

Eddie said, “You know, he’s not going to remember this tomorrow. He never remembers anything when he’s like this.”

**That is okay,** Venom replied, still sounding smug. **It is a lesson we can teach him again and again and again.**

“I- thanks.”

**You are welcome. It is what friends do.**

For some reason, the kindness was too much to handle right then, and Eddie broke into tears. 

Venom’s head appeared next to his again, small and concerned. It butted softly against his tear-stain cheek. **Do not be sad Eddie. He is gone.**

“I know, but I was so scared but then you were there,” Eddie said. In between sobs he pleaded, “Please, never leave me.”

**Of course not. We will always be there. We are one.**

Eddie only cried harder at the promise. Venom pressed against his wet cheek again and said gently, **Do not worry, I got us.**

He stayed there until Eddie’s crying tapered off into an occasional sniffle. Eddie rubbed self consciously at his tear streaked face, and sighed. “Guess we’d better get ready for bed.”

It was a mundane ending to an extraordinary evening, and even though Eddie was exhausted, it took him a long time to fall asleep. But it wasn't nearly as bad as such night usually were. He lay tucked in his bed with Venom wrapped protectively around his shoulders, quietly chatting with him about all the different types of chocolate they would try together until sleep finally claimed him.

When Venom was sure their new host was soundly asleep, they reached out a tendril to pull the blanket higher over his sleeping form, then drew back into his chest to curl around Eddie’s heart, letting its beat lull them into their own stasis.


End file.
